Vitamin D Status in Healthy Free-Living Elderly Men and Women Living in Québec, Canada

Related paper presentations: These findings were presented at a conference in Toronto on May 29, 2008, at the CSCN–CSNS Annual Scientific Meeting (Canadian Society for Clinical Nutrition–Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences); Barake R, Weiler H, Payette H, Gray-Donald K. Predictors and consequences of vitamin D status. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism 2008,33(3):606 (Abstract).

Funding sources: Funding for this research has been provided by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest of any form with respect to this manuscript.

Abstract

Objective: To assess vitamin D status in relation to age, sex, season, adiposity, physical activity level, and supplement use in healthy elderly Canadians living in Québec.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Data for 405 healthy free-living elderly Quebécers aged between 68 and 82 years with no major health problems were examined.

Subjects: Men and women in age groups of 68–72, 73–77, and 78–82 years, in 2 seasons, participating in the NuAge cohort. Measurements: serum 25(OH)D assessed by radioimmunoassay (RIA), weight, height, smoking status, disease status, education, perception of income, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire, and vitamin D supplement consumption.

Results: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D <37.5 nmol/L) was 12.6% and 5.7% for men in winter and summer, and 8.7% and 1.9% for women, respectively. Over 50% of the participants had 25(OH)D concentrations <75 nmol/L. Correlates of vitamin D status by multiple regression analysis indicated that the vitamin D level in summer was 13.8 nmol/L higher for participants measured in winter and 17.2 nmol/L higher for those using supplements. Age, sex, body mass index, and physical activity were not associated with 25(OH)D concentration.

Conclusion: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is low in healthy elderly men and women, especially in summer, but over 50% of the participants had suboptimal vitamin D concentrations. Vitamin D supplement consumption increased 25(OH)D concentrations substantially, particularly in the winter months, and should be encouraged.

The authors would like to thank the staff and participants of the NuAge study.